Kenya Police eye Kagame Cup glory in Tanzania

Newly crowned Kenyan Premier League champions Kenya Police FC are set to represent the country at the prestigious 2025 CECAFA Kagame Cup, scheduled to run from September 2 to 15 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

On Tuesday, the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) confirmed that twelve teams will take part in this year’s edition, with CECAFA Executive Director Auka Gacheo revealing that hosts Tanzania will field two clubs, alongside a guest team from outside the region.

“We are happy to announce that the tournament will take place September 2–15 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,” said Gacheo.

“We expect a more competitive tournament, as most teams will use it to prepare ahead of the 2025/26 CAF competitions.”

Kenya Police FC will debut at the regional competition as KPL champions and are keen to make an impression.

The law enforcers will be flying the national flag, hoping to go further than record KPL champions Gor Mahia, who failed to make it past the group stage last year.

Gor were held to a 1-1 draw by Djibouti Telecom and lost 0-1 to eventual champions Red Arrows of Zambia.

In the 12-team format, only the three group winners and the best-placed runner-up will qualify for the semi-finals, adding pressure for each team to hit the ground running from match day one.

The competition features a strong field, including Uganda’s Vipers SC, South Sudan’s Al Merriekh Bentiu, Ethiopia Insurance, Rwanda’s APR FC, Aigle Noir (Burundi), ASAS Djibouti Telecom, and Zanzibar’s Mlandege SC.

Tanzanian giants Simba SC and Young Africans SC will also be featured as hosts, alongside Sudan’s Al Hilal and Somalia’s MCC FC.

Kenya has a rich history in the Kagame Cup, with AFC Leopards leading the country’s honours list with six titles, followed by Tusker FC (five) and Gor Mahia (three).

Kenya Police FC hopes to write a chapter on this history when the tournament kicks off in September.